A typical communications channel is subjected to a variety of signal distortions, including multipath, that corrupt the information being transmitted and reduce the effective channel capacity. The mitigation of the multipath interference component is an ongoing concern for communication systems operating in complex environments such as might be experienced inside buildings, urban environments, and hilly or heavily wooded areas. Communications between mobile units and distributed sensors, so important to national security, are dependent upon flawless conveyance of information in complex environments. The reduction of this multipath corruption necessitates better channel equalization, i.e., the removal of channel distortion to extract the transmitted information. But, the current state of the art in channel equalization either requires a priori knowledge of the channel or the use of a known training sequence and adaptive filtering. If the ''assumed'' model within the equalization processor does not at least capture the dominant characteristics of the channel, then the received information may still be highly distorted and possibly useless. Also, the processing required for classical equalization is demanding in computational resources. To remedy this situation, many techniques have been investigated to replace classical equalization. Such a technique, the subject of this feasibility study, is Time Reversal Signal …

This report presents the findings of a U.S. DOE Environmental Management technology transfer initiative of waste-reducing ground water sampling systems between Savannah River Site (SRS) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) which occurred during fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The report describes the collaboration between the two sites, the deployment of the Savannah River Site Purge Water Management System at LLNL, the changes made to that system for use at LLNL, and documents the return-on-investment derived from the system's use at LLNL as well as other benefits generated through this inter-laboratory collaboration. An evaluation of the deployment of the LLNL EasyPump sampling technology at SRS will be covered in a separate report from SRS.

To predict contaminant release to the groundwater, it is necessary to understand the hydraulic properties of the material between the release point and the water table. Measurements of the hydraulic properties of the Hanford unsaturated sediments that buffer the water table are available from many areas of the site; however, the documentation is not well cataloged nor is it easily accessible. The purpose of this report is to identify what data is available for characterization of the unsaturated hydraulic properties at Hanford and Where these data can be found.

Oxides are ubiquitous in much of environmental chemistry. Silica and related glasses are potential vehicles by which radioactive elements may be sequestered and stored. The migration of toxic waste in ground water is largely influenced by interactions at the liquid-solid interface, with several metal oxides making up the bulk of soil. In addition, metal oxides with Bronsted acid or Lewis base functionality are potential replacements for many traditional liquid catalysis that are hazardous to work with and difficult to dispose. In this proposal, we targeted two such areas of oxide chemistry. The long-term behavior of silicate materials slated for use in the entombment of high-level waste (HLW), and the use of solid acid metal oxides as replacements for toxic sulfuric and hydrofluoric acid used in industry (referred to as Green Chemistry). Thus, this project encompassed technology that can be used to both remediate and prevent pollution. These oxide systems were studied using density functional theory (DFT). The comparatively large size and complexity of the systems that will bweree studied made use of high-accuracy electronic structure studies intractable on conventional computers. The 512 node parallel processor housed in the Molecular Science Computing Facility (MSCF) provided the required capability.

Following the same approach as with the W-Re targets [l], we have calculated the damage induced by photon irradiation (22.1 MeV average energy) in titanium targets. Stefan Roesler calculated, using FLUKA [2] the spallation products, neutrons and fission products from the interaction of the photons with the titanium target. Using these initial values of energies and positions, we calculated the number of defects produced per incoming photon. It should be noted that the threshold displacement energy for defect production of Titanium as measured experimentally is between 21 and 30 eV [3]. We used a value of 25eV. This is a much lower value than for the case of W-alloys (90 eV) which implies a larger defect production for the same deposited energy in the case of Titanium. The number of defects for different neutron energies was calculated using SPECTER [4] Figure 1(a) shows the number of defects as a function of energy for the case of Ti as compared to W, in Figure 1(b). The number of defects is much larger in the Ti case due to the low threshold displacement energy as explained.

PNNL developed a material balance assessment methodology based on conservation of mass for detecting leaks and mis-routings in pipeline transfer of double-shell tank waste at Hanford. The main factors causing uncertainty in these transfers are variable property and tank conditions of density, existence of crust, and surface disturbance due to mixer pump operation during the waste transfer. The methodology was applied to three waste transfers from Tanks AN-105 and AZ-102.

Two different structural solutions have been proposed and studied for the D0 Run2b stave. The way the stave structural stiffness is achieved in both designs is essentially the same: the structural material is displaced as far as possible from the neutral axis in order to increase the bending moment of the stave. The agreement of the measured data with what has been theoretically predicted is excellent. The C channel stave with dog-bones glued on top of the sensor (stave No.2) has outperformed the other mockups with a predicted sag of 51{micro}m for a distributed load of 2.28 N/m [0.013 lbf/in] and a consequent natural frequency of 89.2Hz. The other three C channel staves with the dog-bones not glued on the sensor have a bending stiffness that is -19.0%, -10.8%, +4.0% of that of stave No.2, being 11.0%, 7.8%, 15.1% lighter respectively. An optimized stave structural proposal with 130.5% of the design stiffness within the mass budget is presented at the end of this paper.

Various operations are authorized in Hanford single-shell and double-shell tanks that disturb all or a large fraction of the waste. These globally waste-disturbing activities have the potential to release a significant volume of retained gas. Analyses are presented for expected gas release mechanisms and the potential release rates and volumes resulting from these activities. Recommendations for gas monitoring and assessment of the potential for changes in tank classification and steady-state flammability are also given.

Nucleosynthesis of heavy elements such as carbon in stars allowed the formation of organic molecules in space, which appear to be widespread in our Galaxy. The physical and chemical conditions - including density, temperature, ultraviolet radiation and energetic particles - determine reaction pathways and the complexity of organic molecules in different space environments. Dense interstellar clouds are the birth sites of stars of all masses and their planetary systems. During the protostellar collapse, gaseous and solid interstellar organic molecules are integrated into protostellar disks from which planets and smaller solar system bodies form. After the formation of the planets in our own solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, all of them, including the Earth, were subjected to frequent impacts for several hundred million years. First indications for life on Earth are dated 3.8-3.5 billion years ago. That life arose very shortly after this heavy bombardment phase raises many questions. A prebiotic non-reducing atmosphere predicts that building blocks of macromolecules--such as amino acids, sugars, purines and pyrimidines were not formed in abundance. A part of the prebiotic organic content of the early Earth could have been delivered by asteroids, comets and smaller fragments such as meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). …

This is the first update of the catalog that was published in 2001. This report catalogs the existing geologic data that can be found in various databases, published and unpublished reports, and in individuals' technical files. The scope of this catalog is primarily on the 100, 200, and 300 Areas, with a particular emphasis on the 200 Areas. Over 2,922 wells are included in the catalog. Nearly all of these wells (2,459) have some form of driller's or geologist's log. Archived samples are available for 1,742 wells. Particle size data are available from 1,078 wells and moisture data are available from 356 wells. Some form of chemical property data is available from 588 wells. However, this catalog is by no means complete. Numerous individuals have been involved in various geologic-related studies of the Hanford Site. The true extent of unpublished data retained in their technical files is unknown. However, this data catalog is believed to represent the majority (>90%) of the geologic data that is currently retrievable.

The goal of this project was to develop the first generation of models that fully address the coupling of dominant processes controlling the behavior of fluid, chemical and biological components in the subsurface. The large memory and computational performance of multiprocessor computing architectures would be exploited to provide modeling capabilities with unprecedented process detail and resolution to assess new scientific hypotheses, assist with experimental design, and to evaluate environmental technologies and remediation design. Moreover, the proposed capability developments would advance the scientific agenda for the subsurface through the realized advances in complex multiple-phase reaction modeling.

Four boreholes were drilled at the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Disposal Site in April 2002. Three were completed as groundwater monitoring wells. This report documents the results of the drilling and data collected from the drilling.

This report is a summary of materials characterization results on twenty cathode samples that were used in a novel aluminum reduction cell at the Northwest Aluminum Technologies laboratory. Most of these cathodes were based on the TiB2 composition and showed very little corrosion as a result of testing. Most of the samples also showed good wetting by Al metal that formed during cell operation.

This document presents the findings of a technology demonstration for magnetically-coupled adjustable speed drives. Although many devices can provide speed control in motor systems, the two devices evaluated were chosen for their unique packaging for specific applications. The U.S. Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory do not specifically endorse or sponsor the devices or manufacturers described in this study, other than to present the specific data collected during this study. The goal of this document is to report the test results of two devices that are unique packaging to evaluate whether these devices could cost effectively produce energy savings in Federal facilities.

High explosives can have reactions to external stimuli that range from mild pressure bursts to full detonation. The ability to predict these responses is important for understanding the performance as well as the safety and reliability of these important materials. At present, we have only relatively simple phenomenological computational models for the behavior of high explosives under these conditions. These models are limited by the assumption that the explosive can be treated as homogeneous. In reality the explosive is a highly heterogeneous composite of irregular crystallites and plastic binder. The heterogeneous nature of explosives is responsible for many of their unique mechanical and chemical properties. We use computational models to simulate the response of explosives to external mechanical stimuli at the grain-scale level. The ultimate goal of this work is to understand the detailed processes involved with the material response, so that we can develop realistic material models, which can be used in a hydrodynamics/multi-physics code to model real systems. The new material models will provide a more realistic description of the explosive system during the most critical period of ignition and initiation. The focus of this work is to use the results of grain-scale simulations to develop an advanced …

The focus of this project was a convincing demonstration of two new technological approaches to high beam quality; high average power solid-state laser systems that would be of interest for tactical laser weapon applications. Two pathways had been identified to such systems that built on existing thin disk and fiber laser technologies. This SI was used as seed funding to further develop and vet these ideas. Significantly, the LLNL specific enhancements to these proposed technology paths were specifically addressed for devising systems scaleable to the 100 kW average power level. In the course of performing this work we have established an intellectual property base that protects and distinguishes us from other competitive approaches to the same end.

There is a rapidly widening gap between our ability to collect data and our ability to explore, analyze, and understand the data. As a result, useful information is overlooked, and the potential benefits of increased computational and data gathering capabilities only partially realized. This problem of data overload is becoming a serious impediment to scientific advancement in areas as diverse as counter-proliferation, the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI), astrophysics, computer security, and climate modeling, where vast amounts of data are collected through observations or simulations. To improve the way in which scientists extract useful information from their data, we are developing a new generation of tools and techniques based on data mining. Data mining is the semi-automated discovery of patterns, associations, anomalies, and statistically significant structures in data. It consists of two steps--in data pre-processing, we extract high-level features from the data, and in pattern recognition, we use the features to identify and characterize patterns in the data. In this project, our focus is on developing scalable algorithms for the pattern recognition task of classification. Our goal is to improve the performance of these algorithms, without sacrificing accuracy. We are demonstrating these techniques using an astronomy application, namely the detection …

This document presents the results of a series of interviews held with technical, management, and regulatory staff to determine the groundwater data quality objectives (DQOs) for monitoring activities associated with the 200-BP-5 and 200-PO-1 operable units located in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. This assessment is needed to address changing contaminant plume conditions (e.g., plume migration) and to ensure that monitoring activities meet the requirements for performance monitoring as prescribed by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) past practice, and Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA) regulatory requirements and orders.

The waste in Hanford tanks generates a mixture of flammable gases and releases it into the tank headspace. The potential hazard resulting from flammable gas generation requires that controls be established to prevent ignition and halt operations if gas concentrations reach levels of concern. In cases where only hydrogen is monitored, a control limit of 6,250 ppm hydrogen has been in use at Hanford for several years. The hydrogen-based control limit is intended to conservatively represent 25% of the lower flammability limit of a gas mixture, accounting for the presence of flammable gases other than hydrogen, with ammonia being the primary concern. This report reviews the technical basis of the current control limit based on observed and projected concentrations of hydrogen and ammonia representing a range of gas release scenarios. The conclusion supports the continued use of the current 6,250 ppm hydrogen control limit

This report compiles in a single source the Kd values measured with Hanford sediment for radionuclides and toxic compounds that have the greatest potential for driving risk to human health and safety in the vadose zone and groundwater at the Hanford Site.

The overall goal of the TSTT Center is to enable the scientific community to more easily use modern high-order, adaptive, parallel mesh and discretization tools. To achieve this goal, we are following three distinct but related paths. The first is to work directly with a number of lead application teams (for the most part SciDAC-funded) to use such technologies in their application domains. The second is to create new technology that eases the use of such tools, not only for our designated application partners, but across a broad range of application areas that require mesh and discretization tools for scientific simulation. The main technology thrust is not to create new tools (although some of this will occur), but to create new capabilities that will allow the use of these tools interoperably. This very profound step can be compared to the shift from hand craftmanship to manufactured products with interchangable components which revolutionized the world economy one to two centuries ago. The third component of our efforts is to embed this work in a larger framework of related activities, each seeking a similar, and profound, change in the practice of computational science. To ensure the relevance of our work to the …

This report describes the air pathway effects of Hanford Site operations from 1991 through 2000 on local air quality.

The Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project focuses its efforts on determining how to safely move the degraded N-Reactor spent fuel from water-stored basins to a dry storage facility. Based on the laboratory data, the project chose to use a conservative enhancement factor in analyzing the oxidation behavior of the spent metallic fuel. However, there is a need for the project to increase the fuel throughput for the drying treatment process by implementing certain design optimization steps. The study discussed in this paper re-evaluated the previous laboratory data in conjunction with the cold vacuum drying (CVD) process experience and determined whether the built-in level of conservatism could accommodate the potential changes in the process without compromising public and worker safety. An established oxidation reaction-rate constant was used to accurately determine the reactive surface areas of corroded N-Reactor fuel elements. The surface areas calculated for 6 different N-Reactor elements that were stored in the K-West Basin and shipped to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for drying studies ranges from as low as 0.0018 m2 for a broken element to 8.1 m2 for a highly corroded SNF element 5744U. The SNF element 0309M that was a clean broken piece was used to calibrate the …

Monthly report written by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association's (TDNA's) office manager, Darla Thompson, to Phil Berkebile providing a summary of revenues and account balances, programs, meetings, and other activities in the office during the previous month.